Last Saturday, a line stretched in Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Square, the end of which was not seen until long distances. There were young families with children and strollers, old and young. All of them were waiting for one thing - at the end of the line stood a small and modest stall with Jahnun Asli, Turkish burekas, lemonade, malabi and kovno - two tables covered with white tablecloths with merchandise were next to an Israeli flag hanging from a tree and a yellow sign bearing the names of the dishes.
This Jahnun - which Tel Avivians enjoyed last Saturday - was prepared by Adi Zohar, owner of Adi Bakery located in Kibbutz Yad Mordechai near Gaza, in double the quantity to welcome those returning from the Nova festival on the bloody Saturday of October 7, when an iron sword war broke out.
The queue for Jahnun Adi
That Saturday, terrorists broke into the business, engaged in a shootout and fights, everything was destroyed and it is now designated a closed military zone. Ahead of last Saturday, Zohar posted messages on Tel Aviv's neighborhood WhatsApp groups and social networks calling on people to help the business.
"Shabbat Shalom friends, I'm writing this post and shaking with fear. Since that cursed Shabbat when our new business was destroyed at Yad Mordechai, we have not served any customers. The Russians and the Mentally Empty We at Adi Bakery understood that we must take action in order to survive, support our family and ensure job security for our employees," he wrote, adding: "Tomorrow from 8:00 a.m. to 16:00 p.m., we will stand tall in Dizengoff Square and sell homemade Jahnun and fine malabi that have become a household name in our short time in the envelope."
A gunfight ensued, photo: Yad Mordechai alert squad
An employee was barricaded in the business for more than thirty hours
Zohar, 35, whose home is in Ashkelon and is currently considered evacuated and lives in Tel Aviv, told us this week: "The business operated for a total of three months. We were a new business in the area that operated as a café in the morning and in the afternoon as a dairy restaurant with a bakery. Shabbat was Yemenite with Jahnun and Turkish burekas. At the central junction where we operated, we would serve 700 customers from all over the area, soldiers and people who would go to bathe at Zikim Beach. We were very, very successful, especially on Saturdays."
What happened on the seventh of October?
"We organized with twice as many gehanunim to welcome all the friends coming back from the party (Nova Festival). The Jahnuns are there until now. We can't go near the place because terrorists broke in. Everything was destroyed there, everything went. We were devastated and didn't know what to do because opening involved a very large financial investment."
Where were you in those moments?
"My house in Ashkelon suffered a direct hit that day, we were saved by a miracle. My father went to business with me that morning, but the sirens didn't stop, so we stopped every minute and in the middle we just decided to turn around and go back. An employee of mine had been holed up inside the business for more than thirty hours, because there had been gunfights. It was closed without electricity."
Adi Bakery before the massacre, photo: Adi Zohar
The pop-up, which opened Zohar in Tel Aviv and will continue to operate on the coming Saturdays, was also publicized by food bloggers, including Yuval Caspian, Daniel Amit and Or Spitz. "We were loved, hugged and appreciated," Zohar says. "We received crazy feedback about the jehanunim, they really liked the food itself. Close to 3000,<> people showed up - we weren't even prepared for it in terms of employees and some girls from the audience just came and worked with us all they were. They forgot that they had come to buy Jahnun. We met amazing people.
How did you feel?
"In the complex situation we find ourselves in, on the one hand, we are mentally empty because we suffered a severe blow. Our clients, good friends, have been kidnapped or murdered. The Jahnun in Tel Aviv is the heart of Gaza. On the other hand, it's exciting. We were loved, hugged and appreciated. The Jahnun in Tel Aviv, the heart in Gaza."
Jahnun Adi is located at Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv every Saturday between 8:00-16:00
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